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2.21.2012

Triple Sec Chocolate Biscotti with Toasted Walnuts

Last night was another night of thesis procrastination. I'm starting to sense a theme. I was sitting in the library, staring into my computer. I'm getting nothing done, I thought. Maybe I should just go home and bake the bread dough I made this morning.

Once I was in the kitchen, I looked into the fridge. I saw four lonely eggs sitting in the carton. Now, I really dislike eating eggs--I don't mind them IN things, but I am not one of those people who just makes eggs for breakfast.

Maybe I'll just make biscotti...it's only 10 o'clock. I went to the closet to grab the flour and sugar and looked at the bottle of Cointreau. Chocolate orange is one of my absolute favorite combinations, my favorite probably being brownies with Grand Marnier and orange zest.

I decided to throw some in, adapting one of my favorite biscotti recipes from Lauren Chattman.

A few years ago, I discovered that the authors of two of my favorite cookbooks (Lauren Chattman and Jack Bishop) were, *gasp*, married! At the top of this biscotti recipe, Chattman writes, “my husband Jack Bishop’s grandmother’s biscotti recipe”.

The recipe:

1 2/3 c flour

1/3 c cocoa powder (Dutch process)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tsp Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or other triple sec

1 tsp orange zest (I didn't have any, but I think it would be a good addition)

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 c chopped toasted walnuts (or almonds!)

Mix together dry ingredients. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined with an electric mixer. Add chopped almonds and chocolate chips. Form dough into two flattened logs on a floured work surface (12” long and 2” wide or so), transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 350º for 35 min. (The logs will spread so make sure they are far enough apart, around 3”). Allow logs to cool completely, then cut them into 1” slices (I actually recommend slightly less than 1 inch). Place them cut side down (and up) onto baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 325º until toasted. Transfer to racks and let cool.

If you like, drizzle with melted dark chocolate (If I had any orange chocolate in my possession last night I would have done that!).

Other variations of the recipe:

Chocolate with Salted Roasted Almonds and Chocolate Chips (I bought Trader Joes Salted Almonds and threw those in instead of the toasted ones, and decreased the salt in the recipe by a small fraction)

Chocolate Cherry with Salted Roasted Almonds (in addition to the above, I added some chopped dried cherries--these burned a little on some of the biscotti, but it was still delicious!)